Ace Metrix Finds Humor and Animals Most Popular Creative Elements of
Last 3 Years of Top Super Bowl Ads

Key to Doritos Three-Year Super Bowl Ad Domination

January 22, 2013 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Information out today from Ace Metrix®, the new standard in television
and video analytics, shows that nearly every top 10 Super Bowl ad for
the last three years employed the use of either humor and/or animals as
a key creative tool. Doritos, the most effective Super Bowl advertiser
over the last three years, has seen great success using both of these
elements: their #1 ranked 2011 Super Bowl hit, “Pug Attack,” is a great
example. Budweiser’s use of its emblematic Clydesdales in 2010 earned
them the top spot among Super Bowl ads that year, though the beer maker
has not seen the same Super Bowl success since.

“Humor that appeals to the masses is really the hallmark of a good Super
Bowl ad. Some advertisers make the mistake of using humor to appeal to
only one demographic—Budweiser and Bud Light have made this mistake
during past Super Bowls, trying to earn a chuckle from the male audience
while turning off women,” commented Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix. “On
the other hand, Budweiser’s use of the Clydesdales—which we are rumored
to see again in this year’s Super Bowl– has been extremely effective.
This more mature approach, at least for beer, plays better with the
broad Super Bowl audience than humor that is polarizing.”

As for animals, Coca-Cola’s polar bears rival any other consistently
used animal by a brand during the Super Bowl. Three of the top
10 Super Bowl ads of 2012 featured the Coke polar bears, which
performed much better with audiences than Pepsi’s glitzy attempt at
using celebrities.

“It will be interesting to see how Coca-Cola attacks the Super Bowl this
year given their recent anti-obesity campaign that has seen such success
among consumers. Its latest two-minute ad achieved an Ace Score of 669
rivaling some of the company’s past Super Bowl creative,” commented
Daboll.

Automotive, which is such a prevalent category in the Super Bowl,
succeeded, first and foremost, not by using humor or animals, but by
using strong corporate messaging like “Made in America.” Chrysler’s
two-minute homage to Detroit starring Clint Eastwood was the most
effective Super Bowl automotive ad from the last three years (and the
only auto ad to rank among the Top 10 in 2012), followed closely by
Honda’s funny take off on “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” starring Matthew
Broderick and Volkswagen’s successful use of animals in 2011 with “Dog
Strikes Back” and “Black Beetle.”

*Definition: Ace Score is the measure of ad creative effectiveness
based on viewer reaction to national TV ads. Respondents are
randomly selected and representative of the U.S. TV viewing
audience. The results are presented on a scale of 1-950, which
represents scoring on creative attributes such as Persuasion,
Relevance, Information, Attention, Change, Desire and Watchability.

Follow Ace Metrix on February 3 for scores and insights as the ads break.acemetrix.com/spotlightsFacebook:
AceMetrixIncTwitter: @Ace_Metrix

About Ace Metrix

Ace Metrix® is the new standard in television and video analytics,
dedicated to delivering better, faster, and more cost-effective
solutions for evaluating video advertising within competitive context.
Through the Ace Metrix LIVE™ platform, companies can now access timely,
actionable data wherever, whenever they need to, enabling real-time
advertising campaign optimization. Combining leading edge technology and
patent pending methodology, Ace Metrix is revolutionizing the way
marketers measure themselves and their competitive landscape. The
Company is privately held and is backed by leading venture capital firms
and industry leaders including Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, Palomar
Ventures, Leapfrog Ventures, and WPP.

Follow Ace Metrix on Twitter for sustained insight: @Ace_Metrix.

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